View report page

74
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
Great care is exercised in all cases of doubtful or suspected
and real ophthalmia neonatorum, which is the chief cause of
blindness. During the year 1933, 30 cases were notified as
compared with annual averages of 72.8 and 56.2 for the 10 years
1911-1920 and 1921-1930 respectively. Formerly this disease was
notifiable by midwives as well as by medical practitioners with
the result that many cases were "missed" and precautionary
measures were consequently unable to be taken.
Cases
Notified
30
Treated
At Home
24
In Hospital
6
Vision
Unimpaired
Vision
Impaired
Total
Blindness
Deaths
28
—
—
2
Contacts, Suspects, etc.
The Medical Officer of Health was frequently called in consultation
by medical practitioners to see patients in their own homes, in
hospitals and schools. 107 such individual patients were examined
during the year, of which 37 were variola minor, 6 missed cases
of variola minor nursed at home as chicken pox or overlooked
until convalescent, 24 were chicken-pox and the rest other infectious
diseases, insect bites, scabies, impetigo, seborrhœa urticaria,
appendicitis, tuberculosis, etc. In addition, 220 examinations
of children were made for the detection of possible carriers of
diphtheria.
Municipal Bacteriological Laboratory.
The subjoined table shows in some detail the nature of the
work carried out at the laboratory, which is equipped for practically
all routine and special examinations except those which entail
the use of living animals. All examinations of samples submitted
are carried out free of charge and the necessary outfits for taking
the specimens are also supplied free on demand as required.
Among the miscellaneous samples are specimens of various
body fluids, pathogenic discharges, etc., as well as samples of
food suspected of containing various food poisoning organisms.